‘Apocalyptic skies’: the dust storms devastating Gulf states and Syria

A man walks past the Kuwait Towers shrouded in heavy dust in Kuwait City last month. Photograph: Noufal Ibrahim/EPA

Blankets of thick gritty haze and ominous orange skies since early April have sent thousands to hospitals and resulted in at least four deaths in Iraq and in Syria.

The apocalyptic scenes have affected everyone. Hospitals in Syria have been on standby for residents unable to breathe. Iraq forced schools and offices to close in some provinces, and on 16 May declared a state of emergency. In the Gulf states, flights were halted in Kuwait, and both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued dust storm alerts.